Type-writing machine.



L. A. MGKEEVER.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 190B.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

wi ln zoom attain,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE A. MCKEEVER, OF NORTON, KANSAS.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE A. MCKEE- vEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norton, in the county of Norton and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Type-W'riting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in typewriting machines, and particularly to an improved key action and carria e feeding or spacing mechanism there or, the main object of the invention-being to provide for use in conjunction with the ordinary single letter or character keys and types controlled thereby supplemental keys and type for the most ordinarily used combinations, as th, er, in, e with a following space, etc., so as to render it possible to write at one touch the two letters or the letter and space of such combinations, whereby, through the addition of keys and type bars representing those combinations most frequently used, fewer touches will be required in writing any given amount of matter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of carriage escapement or feed mechanism whereby the depression of any of the usual keys will feed the carriage the distance of one ordinary spa-ce, while the depression of a combination or plural letter key will feed the carriage two or more spaces according to the number of letters or characters or characters and spaces on or represented by such combination or plural letter key, and further to provide a means for controlling an ordinary type of escapement for this purpose, which means embodies a principle of operation adapting it by slight changes in construction for application to any of the various types of escapements in common use.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention,-Figure 1 is a perspective view showing sufficient of the mechanism of a typewriter to disclose the principle of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side eleva-tion of the carriage feed controller or escape. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same.

In carrying my invention into practice, any desired number of type bars and additional keys for operatin the same may be employed, accordlng to tie number of combination characters it is' desired to adapt the machine to write, and these additional Specification of Lettera Patent.

Application led March 13, 1908. Serial No. 420,870.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

type bars and keys may be ap lied Without detriment either to machines of) that type in which each ty e key represents two types, either of whic can be printed by striking the same key and the manipulation of a shift ke or of that type in whicheach individua upper and lower case letter and character is represented and operated by a distinct key.

The application of the present invention to a typewriting machine of any of the ordinary makes now in common use requires merely the addition ot' the re uired number of plural letter type bars an( their actuating keys, and the substitution of simple means controlled by the respective kinds of keys for operatin the carriage escapement mechanism accor ingly to effect the movement of the carriage a distance of one space or two or more spaces.

In the drawing IV have shown an ordinary single character key 1 and a plural character key 2, which keys lnay be connected with the respective type-bars in the ordinary way. The key 1 when struck depresses the usual cross-bar 3 of the escapement controlling mechanism, which bar is connected in practice at each end by a link 4 with a crank arm 5 on a rock shaft G, which shaft is also provided with a crank arm 7 connected by a link 8 with an elbow lever 9, from which motion is communicated through a link 10 to the carriage escapement for movementof the carriave a single space, as hereinafter describe The key 2 when struck engages and depresses a similar cross-bar 11, which in practice is connected at each end by a link 12 with a crank arm 13 on a rock shaft 14, which shaft is also provided with a crank arm 15 connected by a link 16 with an elbow lever 17, from which motion is communicated through a link 18 to the escapement mechanism for movement of the carriage two or more spaces, in accordance with the character of the compound letter or its equivalent represented by the key. The shafts and links are arranged so as to avoid interference between the same in operation and the bars 3 and 11 are preferably disposed in parallel relation transversely below the key levers. The bar 3 is provided with a series of lu s 19 and intervening slots or recesses 20, while the bar 1S is provided with a similar series of lugs 21 and intervening slots or recesses 22. The single let-- ter keys 1 engage the respectivedugs 19 of the bar 3 and move downward into the recesses 22 of the bar 11, to avoid depression of such bar 11 when either of said single 5 letter keys is struck, while the compound character keys 2 engage the lugs 21 of the bar 11 which stand opposite the recesses 20 of the bar 3 and upon depression move downward into said recesses to prevent depression of the bar 3 upon the actuation of either compound key. It will thus be understood that when any of the ordinary keys 1 is depressed, the bar 3 will be operated to y shift the escapement for the feed of the car- 15 riage a distance of one space, and that on the other hand when any one of the keys 2 is depressed the bar 11 will be actuated to shift the escapement for the feed of the carriage a plurality of spaces, specifically, in

the present instance, a distance of two ordinary s aces.

In t e drawing, I have shown the invention adapted for use in connection with the escapement device of the type employed on the well-known Remington machine, in which a spring-actuated escapement lever having a stop arm and carrying xed and movable dogs is employed in conjunction with an escapement wheel for controlling the feed of the carriage; but I do not limit the invention in its use or application to this particularl type of escapement mechanism, as, by slight changes in the construction, or the use of equivalent parts for those disclosed, the escapement controlling means forming part of my invention may be applied to or used in conjunction with the types of escapement devices employed on any of the other typewriting machines in 23 represents the rocking escapement lever of the type described, which ispivotally supported upon the frame ofthe machine by trunnions 24 and is provided with the usual stop arm 25 and operating arm 26. The lever carries a fixed or rigid dog 26 which normally lies in enga ement with the feed Wheel, not shown, am? a movable or pivotally mounted dog 27, and is held in position l to normally maintain the dog 26 in engement with the wheel by a spring 28. Iii accordance with my invention the arm 26 of the lever is formed with a depending lu 29 slotted for engagement with the hooke upper end of the link 10, and is formed in its upper edge at a point in advance of said lu with a notch or recess 30.

he awl 27 is vertically arranged and pivota y mounted upon a pin 31 intermediate of its length, and is provided with an upper engaging tooth 32 and a lower arm 33. Said awl swings in a direction at right angles to the plane of movement of the lever 23 and is arranged to be projected by a 66 spring 34 bearing upon the inner side of the tooth 32 and normally tending to force said tooth outward or away from the lever and the arm 33 inward or toward the lever. A device is provided for controlling the position and extent of movement of the dog to 70 space its tooth relative to the plane of the lever and to the fixed dog to adapt said pivoted dog to permit the carriage to move only a single s ace or to move a distance of two spaces. T is device comprises a tapered spreader or stop bar 35 which is of triangular form in cross-section, its inner side being straight to lie in contact with the adj acent side of the lever,'while its outer side is beveled upwardly and inwardly to its upper edge. The beveled side of the spreader is adapted to engage the arm 33 of the movable dog, and said spreader is free to slide in a forward and rearward direction at right angles to the plane of movement of the dog without moving out of engagement therewith, and is also adapted to be depressed below the arm 33 to permit the dog to be swung further out by -the spring 34 to position the tooth 32 a greater distance from the 90 fixed dog to allow the carriage to move two ordinary spaces instead of one. In its upward movement from its position below the released idog, the reduced upper edge of the spreader formed by beveling the outer face thereof permits said spreader to move freely upward between the lever and the arm 33 to swing the dog to normal position.

The spreader or stop bar is carriedby and projects forwardly from the upper end of a controlling lever 36, the rear end or arm of which is curved downwardly and rearwardly and lies on one side of the arm 26 of the lever 23, to which it is pivot-ally connected by a pin 37. The lever 36 is maintained in nor- 105 mal position to hold the spreader in engagement with the movable dog to set the dog for single space feeding by a spring 38 suitably connected in practice with the frame of the machine, and said lever is provided oppo- 1104 site the recess 30 in the arm 26 with an upwardly extending slotted lug 39 receiving the upper hooked end of the link 18, which hooked end of the lever is adapted to normally lie above and to pass down into said lll recess 30.

The normal position of the parts of the escapement mechanism is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, from which it will be 'understood that the pawl 27 is normally maintained in posi- 120 tion for a single space feeding movement of the carriage. Hence, when one of the keys 1 is depressed the link 10 will be drawn downward and thus pull down upon the arm 26 to swing the lever 23 to move the 125 pawls to eect the movement of the feed wheel the distance of a single space. In this operation, the lever 36 is drawn downward with the arm 26, but the spreader instead of being depressed simply slides'back- 130 ward between the adjacent portion of the lever and the arm of the movable pawl, thus maintaining said pawl in single space feeding position. lVhen, however, one of the compound keys 2 is depressed and the link 18 is drawn downward, the hooked upper end of said link will pull down upon the lever 36 until such end of the link enters the recess 30 and engages the arm 526, which preliminary movement draws the spreader downward out ot' engagement with the movable pawl, and as the downward motion of the link 18 is continued the lever 23 is swung to carriage feeding position in the usual way. As a result of the release of the 1novable pawl by the downward movement of the spreader, the tooth ot' the pawl is shifted relatively to the lixed pawl to engage the second tooth of the feed wheel behind the rigid pawl instead of the first tooth of the wheel in rear ot' said pawl, thus permitting the carriage to move two spaces instead ot' one for the proper movement ot' said carriage to accord with the space of the com- 'pound character printed.

Upon the release otl the compound key, the springs return the parts ot' the escapement mechanism to normal position. thus resettingl the mo Yable pawl for a single space feeding action. 1t will be understood that the slots in the lugs 29 and 39 respectively permit the upper end of the link 10 to play in the slot 29 when the escapcment is operated by the rod 18, and the upper end of said rod 18 to play in the slot in the lug 39 when the escapemcnt is operated by the link 10.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the use of this invention renders it possible to write at one touch the two letters or the letter and space of the combinations most used, instead of requiring the operator to touch a key for each letter written, as on the ordinary typewriter. The principle of construction makes it possible to change the plan of the ordinary typewriter in a teiv particulars to adapt it to such writing. By adding to the ordinary typewriter and universal keyboard twenty types and keys having the twenty most used combinations. it is calculated that an average of twenty-tive per cent. fewer touches will be required, while the addition of types and keys represeating the ten most used combinations will reduce the. number of touches approximately slxteen per cent., so that the advantages of my invention m ettecting a saving in time and labor can be readily appreciated.

l'laving thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. ln a typewriting machine, a carriage escapement mechanism embodyiner a rocking escapement lever, relatively fixed and movl t t able dogs carried by .said lever, a spreader movable to space the movable dog a greater distance than normal from the fixed dog, a lever pivoted to the escapement lever for 0pcrating the spreader, single and compound character keys, and operating connections between said keys and the esca pement and 0perating levers, said connections being adapted to respectively operate the escapement lever without actuating' the spreader and to move both levers vtor the simultaneous pr0 jection of both pawls and actuation of the spreader.

9.. In a typewriting machine, a carriage esca pement mechanism embodying a rocking escapement lever, relatively fixed and pivot:` ed dogs carried by said lever, a spring for moving' the pivoted dogl to plural spacing position, a wedge-shaped spreader movable between the pivoted dog and a portion of the lever to hold said dog against theaction ot said spring' in normal or Single spacing position, a lever carrying said spreader and pivotally mounted on the escapement lever, single and compound character keys, and operat'ing` connections between said keys and the respective levers, said connections being adapted to permit movement of the escapement lever for normal spacing without retracting the spreader when the single character key is depressed and to operate both levers in unison when the, compound character key is depressed.

il. In a typewriting machine, a carriage escapcment mechanism embodying a rocking escapement lever, fixed and pivoted dogs carried by said lever, a tapered spreader for normally holding the liivoted dog in single spacing position, a springl projected lever pivoted vto the escapemeut lever and carryingl said spreader, sets ot' keys, a spring for adjusting the pivoted dog' to a plural spacin;r position upon the: retraction of the spreader, means including a rod having a slipjoint connection with the escapement lever t'or operating said lever independently ot the spreader lever upon the depression of the keys of one set, and means including a rod operated by the keys ot the other setand engaging `the spreader lever and having a slip-joint connection with the escapement lever or first operating the spreader lever to retract the spreader and then operating the escapement lever for the escapement action upon the depression ot any one of the keys of said set- In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAvVRENCE A. MCKEEVR. vWi tnesses:

lV. J. MEnnnrrH, A. J. Frr'r. 

